Boyfriend Arrested in Staten Island Teen's Murder

Police have arrested Thomas Paolino in connection with the murder of his girlfriend whose body was found in NJ's Pine Barrens yesterday. According to reports, the family of 19-year-old Jessica Tush said that Paolino had been "increasingly abusive" in recent weeks.

Hikers found Tush buried in a shallow grave in the Pine Barrens, which is about 55 miles away. A NJ medical examiner determined Tush was strangled, possibly with a cord. Hours later, Paolino was taken into custody at the 120th Precinct on Staten Island. On the way in, he, while wearing a booties and a Hazmat suit (the police took his clothes for evidence), spat at a NY Post photographer.

Tush was last seen on Wednesday afternoon, at the Staten Island Mall's BCBG store where she worked. She was supposed to attend a wake with another friend, but she never appeared. Her mother appeared at the BCBG store on Thursday morning, to ask the manager if he had seen Jessica; Dina Tush later posted a message on her MySpace account, asking for help. The Staten Island Advance suggests Tush text messaged a friend, saying she was being followed on Wednesday night, but "that account could not be independently confirmed."

Yesterday, Dina Tush said, "My daughter wouldn't get into a car or go anywhere with someone she didn't know. She was responsible. She always felt she could handle herself."